This is the prologue to my upcoming series, the Warden Saga! I won't be publishing any other parts of it on here, but I will republish relevant parts of Endura's lorebook for constructive criticism! Seriously, I'd absolutely LOVE any sort of feedback, it'll help my stories become so much better! 

=================================Prologue======================================

The horses' hooves thundered down the road, kicking up mud and water as they chased their quarry. Their riders, heavily armored men wearing long black coats, spurred their steeds on, shouting with growing excitement as they closed in.

Their prey was fast. It seemed to dart from shadow to shadow, staying just out of reach of the riders' spears. If the sun set, it would escape into the night, and already the sun was hanging low on the western horizon, casting an ominous orange glow on the forested landscape.

The riders laughed as their prey stumbled, rising back up with a pained sob before continuing on at a limp. The hunt was nearly over. The arrow in its leg would see to that. The hunters wouldn't have even been able to keep up if it weren't for that.

Finally, it collapsed. The injury combined with exhaustion had taken its toll, and it fell to the ground in a cloud of dust. The hunters surrounded it, jeering as they poked with their spears.

"Never seen one of 'em before with my own eyes! Have you Hadrik?" One of them inquired, studying their prey.

"No... Never would've believed in 'em if it weren't right here in front of us," The knight named Hadrik replied, his tone one of astonishment.

Their captain, an older, grizzled man, shook his head. "May look innocent enough, but these... Monsters, can kill a grown man with a snap of their fingers. This one killed nigh on half a village of innocent children." He glared down at their prey.

She looked like a woman... That is, save her skin. It was smooth and pale, like the bark of a birch tree. It had flaked away where the arrow had struck, revealing a saplike liquid seeping from the wound. She wore no clothing, save a thin leather belt upon which several vials were strapped. Her eyes were a vivid violet, unnaturally large and lidless, and they were full of fear as she watched her hunters.

"That?" Hadrik asked incredulously. "You're telling me this... thing killed children?"

The captain nodded grimly. "That's why we call 'em monsters."

Suddenly the creature cried out, her voice shrill and afraid. "P-please. Don't hurt me."

The captain let out a sharp bark of a laugh. "Too late for that, beast. You've done enough damage."

The creature held up a long-fingered hand pleadingly. "I swear I did not."

"Why would I believe you?" The captain growled. "Besides, your kind has no place here." He raised his spear, drawing back to land the killing blow.

Just then, a stranger leapt out from behind a nearby tree, startling several of the horses and alerting the hunters. They drew their swords as one and turned to face this new, unknown threat, for the moment forgetting about the creature.

The stranger wore dark leather armor, and a wide array of weapons adorned his weathered belts and bandoliers. His face was concealed by a black scarf, revealing only hard sapphire eyes that were narrowed under the opened visor of his helmet. A tattered black duster billowed behind him, making him appear sinister and wraithlike. A crossbow was in his hand, and with a quick motion he cocked it back and aimed it at the captain.

"Step away from the dryad," He commanded, his confident, somewhat arrogant voice twanging slightly with the distinct accent of a Frontiersman. "Or your leader here dies."

The rider named Hadrik laughed harshly. "You a freak-lover, vagabond? Defending the honor of this forest sprite?"

The stranger lowered his scarf, revealing a handsome, rugged face that was framed by a beard that was several days too long. "Nah. Just don't like your kind much."

The captain's eyebrow rose. "Our kind? What mean you by that, sir?"

The stranger gave him a deadly smirk. "Cowards. Takes..." He took a pause as he counted the riders. "Seven of you to track down one little dryad? Pretty sad if you ask me."

Hadrik drew his sword, his eyes flashing angrily. "How dare you call us cowards! We're servants of the one true king!"

The stranger's smirk widened. "Oh, really? That's what you're calling yourselves these days?"

Before any of the knights had a chance to respond, the stranger pulled the trigger. With a cry of agony the captain fell from his steed as the bolt lodged itself into his unprotected neck. One of the other knights fell from his horse in a cloud of dust as his horse reared with fright, and the rest drew their weapons with a flash of cold steel.

But the stranger was faster than any of them. Another bolt flew from the crossbow, and another knight fell to an inglorious end. The stranger executed a quick roll to dodge out of the way of Hadrik, who had fully intended to trample him under his horse's hooves. At the same time, he drew a thin, needlelike blade from the folds of his cloak. It departed his hand with blinding speed, killing yet another knight. Hadrik wheeled his steed around and pulled a small hand-crossbow of his own from the folds of his coat, taking aim as his horse reared onto its hind legs.

"Put down the crossbow!" Hadrik shouted hoarsely. "I've got the drop on you!"

The stranger's eyes twinkled, and his mouth twisted into a cocky grin. "You may have the drop on me... But you ain't as fast as me."

With a flick of his wrist he aimed and fired with lightning speed. Hadrik cried out as the bolt went right through his chest, and fell to the muddy ground with a grunt.

The stranger shook his head. "Arago, mahai,"* he muttered, surveying the scene around him.

All of the knights had either fled or died, leaving just he and the dryad, who surveyed him with frightened, if not somewhat confused, eyes.

The stranger sheathed his sword and slowly outstretched his hands. "I'm not going to hurt you, don't worry."

The dryad cleared her throat, tilting her head in a way that made her appear childlike. "Why not?"

Crouching down next to her, the stranger produced a vial of liquid from one of the pouches on his belt. "I hunt monsters, and you don't look much like one of those now do ya?"

The dryad smiled faintly. "I suppose not."

He poured the liquid on the dryad's wound and she let out a slight gasp as the viscous green syrup began to hiss and bubble.

"It's supposed to do that," the stranger smiled wryly before his expression turned grim. "More Crone-hunters will come. Let the medicine settle for a bit and then you should be feeling much better. After that, go deep into the forest. Find help from your people, or even better the Coalition."

"How do you know about them?" The dryad asked in surprise.

"Everyone knows about the War," the stranger replied evasively, refusing to look directly at the dryad.

"That's not what I mean..." She replied persistently. "How do you know they still exist?"

"Being a Warden has its benefits." The stranger said simply as he stood, brushing the dust from his coat.

At this, the dryad gasped and her expression changed to one of fear. "Y-you're a Warden? Why haven't you killed me?"

"Some of us have morals," he said. "I don't kill the innocent."

"How do you know I'm innocent?" The dryad asked timidly.

The stranger stared down the road, a faraway look in his eyes. "I tracked you for two weeks. I was led to believe that you were the one who kidnapped those children... But you weren't, were you?" He asked knowingly, turning back to look her in the eye.

"O-of course not. I couldn't hurt anyone even if I wanted to."

The Warden nodded. "Wasn't a dryad that stole those kids away. But the Crone-Hunters don't care, they just want to find a reason to hunt your kind."

The dryad looked down sadly. "I suppose it won't be safe for me around here anymore, will it?"

"No. It won't. I'd leave as soon as you're able, more of them will be coming along soon." The Warden lowered his visor and stepped into the underbrush that skirted the road.

"Wait, Warden!" He stopped at her voice. "What is your name, that I might tell my people of your kind deed?"

A moment of silence followed before he finally answered. "Gareth. My name is Gareth."

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I'm not sure if the intro is too lore-heavy, but I plan on explaining stuff in more detail as the story goes on. Hopefully it wasn't completely confusing!